Solenoid operated can opener



Feb. 6, 1962 H. H. EADY 3,019,523

SOLENOID OPERATED CAN OPENER Filed May 3, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 6,1962 H. H. EADY 3,019,523

SOLENOID OPERATED CAN OPENER Filed May 3, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H/fonH.' E ady 1N VEN TOR.

United taes 3,019,523 SOLENOID OPERATED CAN PENER Hilton H. Early, Rte.1, Franklin, Ga., assignor of fifty percent to .lames N. Register,Warner Robins, Ga. Filed May 3, 1960, Ser. No. 26,614 4 Claims. (Cl.304) The present invention generally relates to a can opener and moreparticularly to such a can opener which is solenoid operated in responseto insertion of a can into position for engagement by the opener.

llt is present day practice to package many liquids in puncturable cans.Such canned materials include beer, carbonated beverages, fruit juicesand the like. Beer and carbonated beverages quite often are sold overthe counter for consumption at a relatively high volume rate. There havebeen hand operated punch devices for opening the containers or cans inwhich it has been necessary to puncture two openings in the top of thecan, one for discharging the liquid and one for admitting air to replacethe discharged liquid. This manual operation is quite time consuming andlaborious especially where a large number of containers must be openedin a relatively short period of time. Therefore, it is the primaryobject of the present invention to provide an automatically operated canopener which will open a can automatically when the can is placed inposition in alignment with the punch or cutter mounted on the machinethereby automatically opening the can with the machine including thecutter or punch automatically returning to a position for receiving asubsequent container when the opened container has been removed.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a canopener in accordance with the preceding object which is actuated by asolenoid having a microswitch engageable by the container forautomatically operating the solenoid when the container to be opened isplaced in position for receiving the cutter or punch for forming theopening in the top of the can.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a canopener that is automatically operated in accordance with the precedingobjects, the can opener being adjustable for receiving and openingdifferent heights and sizes of containers,

Still another important feature of the present invention is to providean automatic solenoid operated can opener which is simple inconstruction, easy to use, effective for its particular purposes,foolproof, long lasting, adjustable and relatively inexpensive tomanufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had Ito the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the can opener of the presentinvention illustrating the device in a lowered condition for openingsmall cans;

vFIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the construc tion of FIGURE 1but with the can opener adjusted for receiving larger cans;

lFIGURE 3 is a front view of the construction of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan View of the can opener;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon aplane passing along section line 5 5 of FIGURE l illustrating thestructural details of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a front view of another type of cutter which may be employedwith the can opener;

'FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of the cutter or punch of FIGURE 6;and

3,l9,523 Patented Fels. 6, ISSZ FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of aguide plate employed for receiving the container and centralizing it inrelation to the can opener.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generallydesignates the can opener of the present invention that includes avertically adjustable working head generally designated by the numeral1,2.

The can opener 10 includes a base plate 14 having an upstanding standard16 adjacent one end thereof with the standard 16 preferably being squareand rigidly secured to the plate. =A gusset 1S extends from the rearedge of the standard 16 to the upper surface of the plate 14 for furtherrigidifying the standard 16. The standard 16 also is provided with acollar 2l) at the upper end of the gusset 18 which forms a seat for oneend of a compression coil spring 22 which acts as a support for theworking head `12 for permitting the working head 12 to slide on thestandard 16 and normally biasing the working head 12 to an upperposition.

Mounted on the upper end portion of the standard 16 is a generallyUfshaped adjusting member designated generally by the numeral 24 whichincludes a bight portion 2e, a short leg 28 having a rounded end 30 anda longer leg 32 in spaced parallel relation to the short leg 28. Thecorner of the adjuster 24 defined by the juncture between the bightportion 26 and the short leg 28 is pivotally attached to the standard"16 as by a pivot pin 34. The free end of the leg 32 is pivotallyattached to an elongated link 36 as by pivot pin 38. rlhe link 36extends downwardly and outwardly towards one side edge of the base plate14 where it is pivotally attached to an operating handle 40 by virtue ofa pivot pin 42. The operating handle 4() is elongated and is disposedalongside of the base plate 14 with one end thereof pivotally attachedto an upstanding lug 44 at the rear corner of the base plate 14 byvirtue of a pivot pin `46. 'l'he other end of the handle 46 is providedwith a knob "48 thereon for facilitating pivotal movement of the handle40. All of the pivotal pin connections may be in the form of pivotbolts, rivets or the like.

The adjuster 24 is pivoted about the axis of the pin 34 when the handle4i? is swung about the axis of the pivot pin 46. This will move theU-shaped adjuster 24 from the position illustrated in FIGURE l to theposition illustrated in FIGURE 2. The rounded end 30 of the leg 23engages the working head 12 when the leg 23 is in alignment with andalongside of the standard 16 thus retaining the working head 12 in adepressed or lowered position. When the Ushaped adjuster 24 is rotatedto a position with the leg 28 perpendicular to the standard r16 asillustrated in FIGURE 2, the spring 22 will urge the cutting head 12upwardly against the outer edge of the leg 28 thus retaining the cutterhead in an upper position. When the cutter head is in a loweredposition, it is adapted to open short tin cans or containers 50 andWhile it is in its upper position, it is adjusted for opening taller tincans or containers also designated by the reference numeral 5t?.

The cutter head 12 includes a vertically disposed transversely extendingmounting plate 52 to which is rigidly attached a U-shaped sleeve 54which cooperates with the plate 52 to provide a sleeve encircling andslidably receiving the standard 16 thus slidahly mounting the plate 52in relation to the standard 16. The upper end edge of the leg of theU-shaped sleeve 54 which engages the leg 28 of the adjuster 24 islaterally elongated as indicated by the numeral 56 to provide bearingengagement with the elongated edge of the leg 2.8 and also formingengagement with the rounded end 3@ whereby eifective connection will bemaintained between the adjuster 24 and the sleeve defined by theU-shaped member 54 and the mounting plate 52.

Attached to the vertical end edges of the mounting plate 52 is a pair ofinwardly facing U-shaped or channel-shaped brackets 58 attached to themounting plate 52 by bolts 60 or other equivalent fastening means. Eachof the U-shaped brackets 5S extend substantially throughout the lengthof he mounting plate 52 with the upper end thereof being flush with theupper edge of the mounting plate 52. The forward corner portion of eachof the brackets 58 project downwardly in the form of an angle ironextension 62 which are disposed parallel to the standard 16 and thelower ends of the extensions 62 are interconnected by a guide membergenerally designated by numeral 64 which includes a vertical flange 66having apertures 68 therein for receiving screw threaded fasteners 70thereby securing the ends of the flange 66 to the extensions 62. rThelower edge of the flange 66 is provided with a horizontal flange 72having an arcuate notch 74 formed therein for engagement with thecontainer or can Si? thus guiding and positioning the can when it isplaced into the can opener.

The portion of the brackets 58 coextensive with the mounting plate 52 isprovided with a solenoid generally designated by the numeral 76 whichincludes a main body 78 secured in position by angle iron brackets 80and elongated fastening bolts S2 which extend through the inwardlyextending franges of the U-shaped brackets 58 thus mounting the solenoidrigidly in relation to the mounting plate 52. The solenoid 76 includesthe usual winding 84 and a movable core or plunger 86 slidablelongitudinally therethrough so that the plunger S6 will be moveddownwardly when the winding 84 is energized in a well known manner, Theupper end of the core or plunger 86 is provided with a lateralenlargement 88 toy limit the downward movement of the core or plunger86.

Mounted alongside of and outwardly of the upper end of each of thebrackets 54 is a spring supporting rod 90 rigid with the mounting plate52 and rigid with the brackets 58. The rods 90 engage and support theupper end of a tension coil spring 92. The lower end of the spring 92 isconnected to apertured ends of a transverse strap member 94 which has acentral vertical portion 96 attached to the lower end of the plunger 86by screw threaded fasteners 98. The screw threaded fasteners 98 alsoextend through apertures 1li0 in a cutter or punch generally designatedby the numeral 101. The punch 1M is provided with an inclined lowersurface 102 and converging front surfaces 104 cooperating to form avertical edge 106 and a point 11D8 which will puncture substantially atriangular shaped opening in a container. The edge of the punch oppositefrom the vertical edge 106 is rounded as indicated by the numeral 110 toconform generally to the curvature of the container to be opened.Further, the punch or cutter 101 is provided with a recess 112 in theupper edge thereof with the apertures i! being formed in the recess 112and with the plate or strap 94 and the enlargement 96 thereon beingreceived also in the recess 112 thus rigidly securing the transversestrap 94 to the punch or cutter 1ii1 and also to the plunger 86 formovement therewith. When the plunger 86 is forced downwardly byenergizing the solenoid, the springs 92 will retract the punch from thecontainer so that the punch will then be ready for a subsequent punchingor opening operation.

`For energizing the solenoid, electrical conductors 11i-Li are Vprovidedand are connected with a suitable male piug 116 for connection to aconventional household current outlet. -One of the conductors `11d isprovided with a microswitch 113 for normally retaining the circuit tothe solenoid open. The microswitch 11S is provided with an actuatingplunger Z dispos-ed for engagement by the lower end of the container orcan 5@ when it is placed in position against the guide 64. Thus, as thecontainer 5G closes the switch 11S, the solenoid Will be operated. Bymoving the can or container S0 slightly away from the microswitch 13.8,then the solenoid will be deenergized whereby the springs 92 willretract the punch or cutter from the can Sti so that the can may befully removed and a subsequent can placed in position. The microswitch11S is mounted on the base plate 14 in any suitable manner and there arealso provided a pair of converging L-shaped guide members 122 secured tothe base plate 1 4 by fastening bolts 124 which form generally a pair ofconverging surfaces for guiding the can or container 5t) into positionfor engagement with the microswitch plunger itl.

The present invention will operate successfully with only one largercutter which will form an opening in the container sufficiently largethat it will not need an air vent. However, if desired, a pair ofsmaller cutters may be attached to the lower end of the plunger in lieuof the single enlarged cutter thus simultaneously providing two holes oropenings in the upper end of the container. The two smaller openers orcutters may be adjustably mounted for engagement with different sizecontainers.

Briefly, in operation, the working head 12 will be adjusted to openeither small or tall cans as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 and thecontainer 50 is then placed in position against the guide 64 and thelower end of the container 5@ will engage the microswitch thus closingthe circuit to the solenoid and causing the plunger and the cutter orpunch mounted thereon to move downwardly for opening the container in anobvious manner. After the opening operation, the container 50 may bemoved slightly away from the microswitch at the bottom thus allowing themicroswitch to open the circuit and deenergize the solenoid whereby thesolenoid plunger will be retracted to an uppermost position and removedfrom the top of the container.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A can opener comprising a base, an upstanding standard rigid withsaid base, a can opener head slidably mounted on said standard forvarying the vertical position thereof, `said head including a solenoidhaving a vertically movable core, can opening means mounted on the lowerend of the core for opening the top of a can when the core is forceddownwardly when the sole.- noid is energized, and switch means mountedon the base, said switch means being disposed in an electrical circuitfor the solenoid and normally being open for retaining the solenoid indeenergized condition, said switch means including an operating memberdisposed for engagement by the can when placed on the base thus closingthe circuit and energizing the solenoid for automatically opening thecan, said plunger in the switch being spring biased to an open positionwhen the can is moved away from the switch thus deenergizing thesolenoid, said solenoid including spring ,means interconnecting the coreand the body thereof for retracting the core when the solenoid isdecnergized, manually operated lever means connected between said headand said base for manually operating said head vertically andselectively manually locking it in one of a plurality of verticallyspaced positions.

2. A can opener comprising a base, an upstanding standard rigid withsaid base, a can opener head slidably v mounted on said standard forvarying the vertical position thereof, said head including a solenoidhaving a verticaily' movable core, can opening means mounted on thelower end of the core for opening the top of a can when the core isforced downwardly when the solenoid is energized, and switch meansmounted on the base, said switch means being disposed in an electricalcircuit for the solenoid and normally being open for retaining thesolenoid in deenergized condition, said switch means including operatingplunger disposed for engagement by the can when placed on the base thusclosing the circuit and energizing the solenoid for automaticallyopening the can, said plunger in the switch being spring biased to anopen position when the can is moved away from the switch thusdeenergizing the solenoid, said solenoid including spring meansinterconnecting the core and the body thereof for retracting the corewhen the solenoid is deenergized, said head including a sleeve slidablyengaging the standard, spring means biasing the sleeve upwardly, andother means mounted on the standard and engaged with the upper endportion of the sleeve for 'forcing the sleevel downward to a loweredposition or permitting the sleeve to move upward to an upper positionfor receiving dilerent heights of containers under the solenoid.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said sleeve is providedwith depending members supporting the transversely arcuated guide forpositioning the containers in position for engagement by the can openingmeans on the lower end of the core of the solenoid.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said other means on said standardengaged with the upper end portion of the sleeve includes a U-shapedadjuster having one bight corner pivotally attached to the standard, anda handle member pivotally attached to the base, a link interconnectingthe handle and adjuster for operating the adjuster.

References Cited in the rile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,713,199 Spencer et al. July 19, 1955 2,785,460 Johnson et al. Mar. 19,1957 2,831,246 'Frank et al. Apr. 22, 1958

